VIVA HUCKABEE!:  —  Here's when I realized Mike Huckabee might be on the verge of something: Shortly after 1 o'clock, Laura Ingraham, our intrepid emcee, introduced each of the straw poll candidates.  Because Romney was speaking immediately after the introductions, and because he'd clearly bused …

Hidden Earmarks A Hallmark Of The 110th  —  When Democrats campaigned in the 2006 midterm elections, they promised to reform the pork-barrel practices of previous Congresses once they took control.  They have certainly changed the process, but not in the manner they promised.

Video: Footage of terrorist killed in Old City released  —  A copy of CCTV footage from the scene of Friday's shooting in Jerusalem's Old City shows the Israeli Arab assailant snatching the pistol of an Israeli security guard and shooting him repeatedly at close range.  —  Double click below to watch video

The truth behind the Pollack-O'Hanlon trip to Iraq  —  Last Wednesday, I interviewed Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution regarding the trip he recently took to Iraq and the highly publicized Op-Ed in the New York Times about his trip, co-written with his Brookings colleague, Ken Pollack.

The LAT had an interesting item today, speculating about whether presidential candidate Fred Thompson will follow Senate candidate Thompson's style, and campaign in his favorite prop. … As the piece explained, Thompson hopped in an old red pickup and won voters over with his folksy charm, accentuated by the prop.

FISA CONFUSION REVISITED....A quick note to make clear what (I think) my main source of confusion about the new FISA law has been.  —  Originally, FISA allowed warrantless wiretapping of any communication between two foreigners.  It also allowed warrantless surveillance of "foreign powers" …

Dem insiders say national polls putting Hillary ahead meaningless  —  Democratic insiders who are not neutral in the presidential race do not take seriously the USA Today/Gallup poll of Democratic voters showing Sen. Hillary Clinton 23 percentage points ahead of Sen. Barack Obama.

Iraqi Sunni claims 'genocide campaign'  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's most senior Sunni politician issued a desperate appeal Sunday for Arab nations to help stop what he called an "unprecedented genocide campaign" by Shiite militias armed, trained and controlled by Iran.

OBJECTIVITY....Mark Kleiman comments on the convention of objectivity in the reporting of straight news: … In theory, everyone agrees with this.  The problem is, I haven't yet come across a single person who's proposed a workable solution.  Who gets to decide whether an issue is still debatable?

Fred, Fred, Fred: Thompson's Challenge Has a Name  —  In the swampy soup of hopefuls for the 2008 presidential election, there is a man with a funny name.  (No, not that one.)  —  We're thinking of the one named Fred (Thompson).  —  Say it out loud.  Do it.  Fred.  Fred.  In the South, Fray-ud.

INTERVIEW-Economic policy mistakes hurt Iraq-US official  —  Source: Reuters  —  Years of economic policy mistakes after the fall of Saddam Hussein left unemployed young Iraqis easy targets for recruitment by al Qaeda and other insurgents, a U.S. Defense Department official said on Sunday.

MTP: Markos Discusses the Emergence of the Netroots Movement  —  DailyKos Founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga explains to guest host David Gregory on Meet The Press why the netroots movement signals the end of "business as usual" politicking for the Democratic party.

US doles out millions for street cameras  —  Local efforts raise privacy alarms  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is funneling millions of dollars to local governments nationwide for purchasing high-tech video camera networks, accelerating the rise of a "surveillance society" …

Leering Chris Matthews Asks Female CNBC Anchor to Move in Closer to Camera  —  Apparently Hardball host Chris Matthews has a bit of a problem keeping his lust in check on the air.  On Friday evening's Hardball, Matthews was interviewing CNBC's Street Signs anchor, Erin Burnett …

'Bourne' flick is ultimately un-American  —  When "The Simpsons Movie" turns out to be more realistic than "The Bourne Ultimatum," you know something is up.  Nevertheless, the thriller is a big hit, proving once again that film audiences now want live-action cartoons rather than crisp …

Greenhouse Simplicities  —  We in the news business often enlist in moral crusades.  Global warming is among the latest.  Unfortunately, self-righteous indignation can undermine good journalism.  Last week's NEWSWEEK cover story on global warming is a sobering reminder.